Clash Royale: how decks, elixir and towers fit together
Clash Royale is a real-time card battler by Supercell, released worldwide in 2016 for iPhone and Android. Two players drop troops, spells and buildings into a small arena to knock down each other's towers. A match lasts three minutes, plus overtime if it is tied.
The three things to understand
- Your deck. You build a deck of 8 cards and hold 4 at a time. Play one and the next card in the cycle replaces it.
- Elixir. Every card costs elixir, which refills on its own up to 10. In the last minute it refills twice as fast.
- Towers. Each side has a King Tower and two Princess Towers. Each tower you destroy is a crown. Take the King Tower and you win right away.
How a match plays out
The arena has two lanes split by a river. You place cards on your side, and troops walk toward the nearest enemy building. Most of the game is trading: answer the other player's push with fewer elixir than they spent, then counter-attack while they are low.
If no one has more crowns when time runs out, the match goes to overtime, and the next tower to fall wins. Winning gives trophies, which move you up through arenas with new cards to unlock.
Beginner tips
- Let them commit first. Defend their push cheaply, then attack the other lane while they are low on elixir.
- Defend near your King Tower. Troops placed in the middle pull attackers into range of both of your towers.
- Keep a cheap cycle. Low-cost cards get you back to your win condition faster.
- Know your win condition. Every good deck has one card meant to hit towers, like Hog Rider or Giant. Build around it.
Card tower battlers on Roam
BRAINROT ARENA swaps the cast for meme cards: enemy towers and three minutes on the clock. Crystal Clash is the same drop-your-cards, take-the-towers idea with its own units. Clash Royale itself is only from Supercell on the app stores.
Play it on Roam
More on Roam
Make your own card battler with Roam
Roam is a free iPhone app where you describe a game and it comes back playable. Design your own cards and change them by talking. Roam is rated 13+ on the App Store.
Try: "card tower battle where my friends are the troop cards, two lanes, elixir is coffee, 3 minute matches"Roam ("Roam - Make Games" on the App Store) is an iPhone app where you play games and make your own by describing them or from a photo. It is free to download and play, and making games works without a subscription; optional Spark and Reality plans and credit packs add more creation. Android: pre-register on Google Play.
Questions people ask
How many cards are in a Clash Royale deck?
Eight. You hold four at a time and cycle through the rest.
How long is a Clash Royale match?
Three minutes, with overtime if crowns are tied.
Who made Clash Royale?
Supercell, the studio behind Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars. It came out in 2016.